Marine veteran helping correct history on San Francisco National Cemetery headstones
The Department of Veterans Affairs held a Memorial Day ceremony at the San Francisco National Cemetery in The Presidio, which was the largest commemoration in the Bay Area.
And one Marine veteran and his son are making it their mission to correct history and make sure fallen soldiers get the proper recognition they deserve.
"So, this one I'm really, really proud of," Danny Casey said. "This is Albert Moore; he won the Medal of Honor in the summer of 1900."
It's been 109 years since the Marine was laid to rest, but only now does his headstone tell the truth.
"You can see on his original headstone. It gives no historical recognition to the U.S. Marine Corps," Casey told KPIX.
"It says USMC Boxer Rebellion because before it just said first sergeant, Spanish American War. Now, it's a brand-new headstone," Casey explained.
Casey is proud of the work he has done to correct the headstones of his fellow Marine Corps members. He himself is a veteran, a hobbyist historian and a proud father.
Casey and his son had a goal to visit and learn about each of the 40 Medal of Honor recipients in the Presidio National Cemetery,
"To read about their gallantry, the acts of bravery that awarded them the Medal of Honor," Casey said.
And to his surprise, there were mistakes printed on headstones, some more than a century old.
"And this one was just a wrong date," Casey said.
After finding a headstone with a mistake, Casey confirms his suspicions with a historian and then requests the change be made through the National Cemetery Administration, with a detailed write-up.
He said it's likely the National Cemetery Administration recognizes his name by now.
"I think they know my name very well," Casey said. "I actually went to Washington because they were ignoring me and was like, 'I have a little envelope for you.' Long story short, I got it in the right hand."
As for his motivation, Casey explained it's about protecting their history.
"To think that 125 years from now this stone will be fixed and people who still care about our culture, our history … need to know about this," Casey said.
And it's been a valuable experience with his son.
"This has been our hobby, to go out and fix history," Casey said.
"Outstanding," fellow Marine veteran Richard Barela said. "In 125 years, who's to say there won't be a fellow young Marine, his great-great-grandson correcting his headstone or my headstone."
KPIX asked Casey what he thinks Albert Moore would think about his work correcting headstones.
"To think after 109 years, people are still saying your name and acts of gallantry on the Tartar Wall, and now you're laid to rest with your fellow Marines from the USS Oregon, I think that he would be proud of his fellow Marines for even speaking his name," Casey said.
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